Refuse To Fail

By J E ShewardPosted Sunday, October 3, 2004

In today’s society it seems all too easy to feel like a failure. And, unfortunately, there’s usually no shortage of people rushing to your side to say, “I told you so” when something doesn’t work out as planned.

I have put together some tips to help you NOT fail, so YOU can be the one saying, “I told you so” to all of your critics.

1. Get organized. You’ll be receiving several e-mails. Some from the companies you’re affiliated with, some from opt-in newsletters you subscribe to, and some from miscellaneous others. Create a separate e-mail folder for each category and transfer your e-mails into their corresponding folder. That way it will be much easier to find a particular item you may be looking for later. Another good idea is to purchase cheap file folders and print out the e-mails you find to be useful so you can have them at your fingertips. Sometimes it’s easier to “grasp” things on paper than starring at a computer screen.

2. Set realistic goals for your business and write them down. Make note of when you reach those milestones, (or if you don’t) and modify your goals accordingly. If you can see where you are and where you need to be it’s easier to make the necessary adjustments to reach your desired goal.

3. Don’t jump from one thing to the next. When you’ve been promoting a particular company or product and you haven’t done as well as you’d like, you may be tempted to give up on that endeavour and move on to another. Unless you are just completely dissatisfied with the product, training, or support you receive, don’t throw in the towel just yet. If you keep jumping from one thing to another you won’t be in one place long enough for anyone to find you.

4. Keep a note pad close to you at all times. Whenever you think of something that could benefit you, or someone else, write it down. Even if you don’t have the “big picture” of exactly what that idea is yet, or you just don’t have the time to sit and cultivate it, write down a few words to jog your memory when you do have the time. Before you know it, you have all the information you need to write and publish a couple articles! Great, free advertising!

5. Keep yourself focused and on track. During your “work time”, don’t look up other sites that look interesting to you. Write down the name of the site and visit it later. If you’re not careful, you’ll spend all day checking out someone else’s sites instead of getting traffic to your own.

6. Be willing to learn and try new things. As creatures of habit, we tend to keep doing the same things over and over again, even if they aren’t working. If your marketing techniques aren’t getting results then it’s time to re-think and try something new. Keep tweaking your efforts until you find the formula that works for you.

7. Don’t get discouraged. There will be days when you feel like you’ve done nothing but work, work, work and still you haven’t made a sale. So, you start slacking off and stop writing and submitting articles, stop submitting your classified ads, stop all the marketing you were once so active in doing. Even though it may seem useless at the time, all of your efforts WILL pay off eventually, so NO SLACKING!

8. Don’t expect too much too soon. Give yourself at least a year of honest promoting and marketing before you even think about giving up.

9. Make sure that the e-mail list you build is opt-in only and be very careful about purchasing “leads”. No one likes to receive unsolicited e-mails and you don’t want your name or the name of your company associated with such practices.

10. When you’re ready to call it a day, take a look at what you’ve done and what needs to be done. Make a “To Do” list for the next day in order of priority. Check each item off as you get it done and if you have the time try to do a little more each day. Before you know it, all your hard work will pay off…just be consistent and REFUSE TO FAIL!

About the Author
J E Sheward publishes "Blue Sky Profit Home Business Tips", an informative newsletter designed to help people like YOU earn a living from home. Subscribe free today at (http://blueskyprofit.com)